Last year, state epidemiologists studied an industrialized region east of Houston. They reported finding high rates of cancer, but refused to release key geographic details—a decision some experts say is irresponsible. "
"HIGHLANDS, Texas — Eight months ago, Texas health officials delivered alarming news to residents of a string of industrialized communities east of Houston: A new study had found that they may be at elevated risk of developing several types of cancer, especially leukemia.
But few conclusions about the severity of the threat in specific locations can be drawn because state epidemiologists have refused to release the cancer data at the census-tract level—a move advocates and experts are calling into question. This granular data can pinpoint areas with high cancer burdens and help connect those discrepancies to risk factors like environmental exposures. It can also be used to identify cancer clusters.
Two independent epidemiologists told Public Health Watch the state’s decision not to release this data was illogical and indefensible. A Houston-area congresswoman and three Harris County commissioners sent letters to the state’s health commissioner, asking her to remedy the error. A local activist accused health officials of suppressing information that could reflect poorly on the state’s $68 billion oil-refining and petrochemical industries, centered in Houston.
Ketki Patel is the Texas Department of State Health Services, or DSHS, epidemiologist who led the study. In an interview, Patel defended the agency’s decision to publish cancer data for a 250-square-mile area—about a quarter of the size of Rhode Island—without providing details at the census-tract level. She said the agency can’t release such data because, for some cancer types, it didn’t find enough cases to guarantee statistical reliability."
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